Nick Clegg Calls on Public to Help Scrap Bad Laws
THE TELEGRAPH: Members of the public will be given the right to nominate unpopular laws they want scrapped, Nick Clegg has announced the Your Freedom initiative intended to begin a shift of power away from the state to the people.

In an article for The Daily Telegraph, the Deputy Prime Minister says that “people, not policy-makers” are the best judges of which “unnecessary laws” should be repealed.

Your Freedom: suggest the laws you want repealed

The “radically different” approach is part of the Coalition’s attempt to redress the balance between the citizen and the state, Mr Clegg argues. He says it is not for Government to tell people “how to live their lives” and that civil liberties should be restored and laws stifling businesses abandoned.

As part of Mr Clegg’s initiative, Telegraph.co.uk is providing a Your Freedom link to the Cabinet Office website where people can put forward their suggestions for which laws should be targeted.

In his article, Mr Clegg says: “Today we are taking an unprecedented step. Based on the belief that it is people, not policy-makers, who know best, we are asking the people of Britain to tell us how you want to see your freedom restored.

“We are calling for your ideas on how to protect our hard-won liberties and repeal unnecessary laws. And we want to know how best to scale back excessive regulation that denies businesses the space to innovate.

“We’re hoping for virtual mailbags full of suggestions. Every single one will be read, with the best put to Parliament. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Thursday, July 01, 2010

Your Freedom

THE TELEGRAPH: Your Freedom: Nick Clegg calls on public to help repeal bad laws: Nick Clegg has announced the Your Freedom initiative intended to give members of the public the right to nominate unpopular laws they want scrapped. >>>

Launch of Your Freedom 1st July 2010


Your Freedom: Britain's Liberty Is At Stake - It Is Time to Have Your Say
THE TELEGRAPH: The state has crept further and further into people’s homes and their private lives under the cover of pretending to act in our best interest. That needs to change, says Nick Clegg.

During their 13 years in power, the Labour Government developed a dangerous reflex. Faced with whatever problem, legislation increasingly became the standard response. Something needs fixing? Let’s pass a new law.

And so, over the last decade, thousands of new rules and regulations have amassed on the statute book. And it is our liberty that has paid the price. Under the cover of pretending to act in our best interest, the state has crept further and further into people’s homes and their private lives. That intrusion is disempowering. It needs to change.

The Coalition Government is determined to restore great British freedoms. Major steps have been taken already. ID cards have been halted. Plans are underway to restrict the storage of innocent people’s DNA. Schools will no longer be able to take children’s fingerprints without their parents consent.

But we need to do more. The culture of state snooping has become so ingrained that we must tackle it with renewed vigour. And, especially in these difficult times, entrepreneurs and businesses need our help. We must ensure we are not tying them up in restrictive red tape. Freedom is back in fashion >>> Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister | Thursday, July 01, 2010

Have your say >>>

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch, Cuba Tells Its Workers
Cubans queue up to buy bread in Havana. Dire economic conditions mean that they could lose their ration books. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: Ever since the tumultuous birth of communist Cuba, the one perk thousands of workers have been able to count on over the decades is a hearty meal to sustain them through the toil of providing for the socialist motherland.

Today nearly a quarter of a million Cubans will discover that there is no such thing as a free lunch, when the Government closes work cafeterias to cut costs. The move is one of a series of reforms, brought in since Raúl Castro took over as President from his brother, Fidel, in 2006, and deigned to reduce the State’s involvement in Cubans’ daily lives.

Workers will receive a wage increase of 60 cents a day in compensation, or $18 (£13) a month — a substantial amount to add to the average monthly wage of $20.

Still, there are concerns among workers about the impact of the closures. “There aren’t enough cafés at the moment,” said Ada, 57, who works in a cafeteria for state employees restoring the old part of Havana.

“All these people looking for somewhere to eat — there isn’t enough food for so many people on their lunch hour.”

Cubans have been allowed to set up privately run snack shops since 1993 but the range of food on offer is still limited.

Among the options are small, doughy pizzas for 50 cents, or a box of fried rice for 60 cents. Juan, a 29-year-old architect, says that he will bring his lunch from home. “The only inconvenience is preparing it for yourself. But then it should be better than the food you get here.” He is pleased that he will not have to eat with construction workers any more. “It gets rid of the whole idea of the socialist cafeteria, where everyone is supposedly equal.” Continue reading and comment >>> Corrina Hayes, Havana | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

THE TIMES: Cubans united on need for change, says Roman Catholic cardinal Jaime Ortega: Cuba’s foremost Roman Catholic said that Cubans are growing impatient for change to address the island’s worst crisis in more than a decade. >>> James Bone, New York | Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The new president of Germany: Christian Wulff. Photograph: Google Images
Merkel Clinches Tainted Victory in Presidential Vote
THE TIMES: It was supposed to be the turning point for the embattled government of Chancellor Angela Merkel - the triumphant election of her favourite conservative, Christian Wulff, as the President of Germany.

Instead of a shoo-in, however, it took nine hours of voting, interspersed by wheeler-dealing and a desperate appeal by the Chancellor before the country could be sure that the next head of state would be called President Wulff.

Mr Wulff, the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, had been pitted against the candidate of the Social Democrats and Greens, the former east German dissident priest Joachim Gauck. Two rounds of voting saw Mr Wulff fall short of the necessary absolute majority and even hard-boiled political commentators started to argue that Mr Gauck, always the outsider, might just make it in a third and final round. In the end, Mr Wulff was elected by 625 votes to Mr Gauck’s 494 - but not before dozens of Ms Merkel’s supporters had secretly voted against her candidate.

The eventual result was a good one for the Chancellor, but the process had exposed her political weakness to the nation. >>> Roger Boyes, Berlin | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Wulff wird im dritten Wahlgang Präsident: Schwarz-Gelb ist knapp an der Katastrophe vorbeigeschrammt: Im dritten Wahlgang wurde Christian Wulff zum neuen Bundespräsidenten gewählt, sogar mit absoluter Mehrheit. Doch an dem Wahlkrimi wird die Koalition noch lange zu leiden haben - es könnte der Anfang vom Ende für Merkels Regierung sein. >>> kgp/dpa/ddp/AFP/apn/Reuters | Mittwoch, 30. Juni 2010

The French Are Taking Leave of Their Senses*! Husbands Can Be Jailed for Insulting Wives under New French Law
THE TELEGRAPH: Couples who insult each other over their physical appearance or make false accusations about infidelity face jail, under a new French law making "psychological violence" a criminal offence.

Junior family minister Nadine Morano. Photo: The Telegraph
The law – the first of its kind – means that partners who make such insults or threats of physical violence faces up to three years in prison and a €75,000 (£60,000) fine.

French magistrates have slammed the new legislation as "inapplicable", as they argue the definition of what constitutes an insult is too vague and verbal abuse too hard to prove.

Nadine Morano, the junior family minister, told the National Assembly that "we have introduced an important measure here, which recognises psychological violence, because it isn't just blows (that hurt), but also words."

Miss Morano said the primary abuse help line for French women got 90,000 calls a year, with 84 per cent concerning psychological violence.

But men now also have the right to report their wives['] verbal abuse in a domestic row.

It will apply to both married couples and cohabiting partners.

The bill, which has been unanimously approved by French MPs, defines mental violence as "repeated acts that could be constituted by words," including insults or repeated text messages that "degrade one's quality of life and cause a change to one's mental or physical state." >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

*This stupid law will encourage people to go it alone, to stay single. How ridiculous! – Mark

La Grèce défend l'avenir européen de la Turquie
Le ministre grec délégué aux Affaires étrangères, Dimitri Droutsas, en janvier dernier à Londres. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: En visite à Paris, le ministre grec délégué aux Affaires étrangères, Dimitri Droutsas, a souligné les premiers résultats du plan de rigueur.

Mise sous pression par la crise de son économie, la Grèce ne perd pas de vue les Balkans et la Turquie, ses voisins dont «l'avenir passe par l'Union européenne» , comme l'a souligné le ministre grec délégué aux affaires étrangères, Dimitri Droutsas, hier à Paris. Athènes observe attentivement la nouvelle visibilité de la Turquie sur la scène régionale, y voyant une raison supplémentaire de poursuivre le délicat rapprochement entamé avec Ankara après des décennies de méfiance . Selon le chef adjoint de la diplomatie grecque (le portefeuille des Affaires étrangères est détenu officiellement par le premier ministre Georges Papandréou, NDLR), la posture adoptée par la Turquie est «logique» : «Faute de recevoir un message positif de l'UE, elle considère d'autres alternatives. Mais pour Ankara, je ne suis pas convaincu qu'il y ait d'autre alternative que l'Europe», déclare-t-il au Figaro. Cela dit, Dimitri Droutsas ne manque pas de rappeler que «la normalisation des relations avec la Turquie ne sera pas complète tant que ne sera pas réglé le problème de Chypre» . Une «solution chypriote», c'est-à-dire élaborée «sans pression de l'extérieur» , et la prise en compte de l'acquis communautaire sont, d'après lui, les deux ingrédients indispensables d'un règlement négocié. «La clé du problème est en Turquie» , affirme Dimitri Droutsas, en appelant Ankara à retirer ses troupes du nord de l'île divisée, «une mesure concrète qui créerait une atmosphère de confiance mutuelle» .

Dans son voisinage, la priorité grecque demeure toutefois les Balkans. L'«Agenda 2014», défendu par Athènes, propose l'intégration dans l'UE à cette échéance. Un processus grâce auquel «les menaces de conflit dans la région pourraient être réduites plus facilement», notamment au Kosovo et en Macédoine, selon Dimitri Droutsas. Continuez à lire et réagir à cet article
>>> Par Alain Barluet | Mercredi 30 Juin 2010

Iraq Inquiry: Secret Documents Showing Tony Blair’s Frustration Published
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair’s irritation and frustration at being told that going to war in Iraq would be illegal have been made public with the unprecedented release of top secret Government documents.

On one note, written six weeks before the March 2003 invasion, the then-prime minister scrawled “I just do not understand this” alongside a warning from Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, that military force would be illegal without a fresh United Nations resolution.

In separate handwriting at the top of the note, a No 10 aide wrote: “specifically said we did not need further advice [on] this matter.”

The document is one of a number which were declassified by the Government showing that in the run up to the war, Lord Goldsmith was repeatedly told that his formal advice about the legality of an invasion was not welcome.

He had expressed reservations about the legal justification for a military conflict without the support of the UN for months before changing his mind on the eve of the war after flying to the United States to discuss the matter with officials working for President George W Bush.

The documents have been kept secret since the war but were released to the Chilcot Inquiry, which is holding hearings into the Iraq conflict, after Sir Gus O’Donnell, the head of the civil service, ruled that they raised “unprecedented” matters of public interest. >>> Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair rakes in another $100,000 as he is awarded 2010 Liberty Medal by Bill Clinton >>> Mail Foreign Service | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

German Faces Jail for Adolf Hitler Mobile Phone Ring Tone
THE TELEGRAPH: A German man is facing up to six months in prison for having a speech by Adolf Hitler as mobile phone ring tone.

The 54-year-old had the speech - in which the Nazi leader pledged the "destruction of world Jewry" if Germany was "dragged" into war - programmed into his Nokia phone. >>> Allan Hall in Berlin | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Obama Says McChrystal Can Keep Fourth Star
AFP: WASHINGTON — He might have sacked him as the US war commander in Afghanistan, but President Barack Obama will allow General Stanley McChrystal the honor of retiring as a four-star general.

The White House said Tuesday that the president had intervened to ensure that McChrystal would keep his rank, even though he had not served the requisite number of years at the level to retain the rank.

"We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that somebody who has served the country as ably as he has can retire at a four-star level," said Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman.

McChrystal was promoted to four-star rank last year, when Obama chose him to serve as Afghan commander. >>> AFP | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Obama gets ready for prayer in a mosque. This is proof, if any proof were needed, that Obama is a Muslim. Why? Because mosques are not open for prayers for infidels! – © Mark | Photo: Google Images
President Obama Welcomes Saudi King Abdullah In Praying For Media
ALL HEADLINE NEWS: Washington, DC, United States (AHN) - U.S. President Barack Obama and visiting King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday prayed together* for the serenity of the media at the White House meeting.

"I want to also thank our friends, the American people, and I also would like to thank our friends here in the media," King Abdullah said at the end of his statement. "May God spare us from all of the bad things they can do to us."

As Obama laughed, Abdullah added, "And may God bless us with all the positive things they can do for us and for humanity."
Obama added: "Well, that is an excellent prayer. Thank you."

According to a White House communique, the two leaders “met and reaffirmed the strong, historic ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.” >>> Tejinder Singh, AHN News Correspondent | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

*If B. Hussein Obama prayed together with King Abdullah, you can be sure that they prayed together in the Islamic way. Many Americans will surely find this act very offensive. – Mark

Homophobia on the EU's Doorstep: Oppressed citizens in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus long for the political support given to their eastern EU counterparts
THE GUARDIAN– AN EXTRACT: All across eastern Europe, more and more LGBT people are standing up for their rights and joining the movement for queer freedom. This is not surprising. Within the LGBT communities of the former Soviet empire, this yearning for equality and human rights is strong and undiminished. Read the whole article here, and comment >>> Nikolai Alekseev | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hamas Founder's Son Decries Islamic 'God of Hate'
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: The son of one of the founders of Hamas is turning his back not only on the organization that now controls Gaza, but the religion that so animates the followers of the group his father helped create.

Speaking on Wednesday night to the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a pro-Israel organization that focuses on radical Islam in education and media, Mosab Hassan Yousef said, "The god of Islam is the god of hate."

Mr. Yousef's father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a leading imam within Hamas, a group that seeks to impose Islamic law throughout the territory it considers Palestine, land that also encompasses the modern state of Israel.

The younger Mr. Yousef came to the United States in 2007, but only sought publicity after the publication of his memoir, "The Son of Hamas," this year. Continue reading and comment >>> Eli Lake | Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Related article and videos here and here

HT: Weasel Zippers >>>

Deported Cleric Mansour Leghaei Returns to Iran
Mansour Leghaei at home in Sydney with his wife, Marzieh, and daughter, Fatima, 14, before they were deported to Iran yesterday. Photograph: The Australian
THE AUSTRALIAN: MANSOUR Leghaei -- the Sydney Islamic cleric accused of spying for Iran -- will arrive back in his birth country today after being deported.

The father of four flew out of Sydney last night with his wife and 14-year-old daughter Fatima after a long campaign by Australian supporters from across the religious divide failed to sway the federal government against the deportation decision.

"I'm going to miss everyone so much," Dr Leghaei said yesterday after packing up his home in Sydney's inner west.

The sheik's three sons will remain in Australia.

"I will not only miss my children -- my flesh and blood -- but I will also miss the Muslim community and the wider community, the Christian community and all the other Australians who have been amazingly supportive," he said.

"I don't think I will find better friends anywhere."

Dr Leghaei, an imam at the Shia Imam Husain Islamic Centre at Earlwood in Sydney's inner west, was ordered to leave Australia after ASIO issued an adverse security assessment when he applied for permanent residence in 1995.

But neither ASIO nor the government will tell him the reasons behind the decision, saying they are not required to because he is not an Australian citizen. >>> Jodie Minus, The Australian | Monday, June 28, 2010

Deported Sheik on His Way to See Dying Mother
THE AUSTRALIAN: AFTER arriving in Iran yesterday, Mansour Leghaei -- the Islamic cleric deported from Australia -- was determined to see his dying mother.

The Sydney cleric was deported after being black-listed by ASIO.

The sheik flew out of Sydney on Sunday night with his wife and 14-year-old daughter Fatima, en route to his birth country after a decade-long battle with the Australian authorities over his residency.

Dr Leghaei's supporters said yesterday they did not know his detailed plans for the future, but knew he wished to visit his mother, who is battling leukaemia, "as soon as he got back".

"He said his only plans were to see his mum and dad as soon as he got back into the country," said Anglican priest Dave Smith, who is a long-time supporter of Dr Leghaei. >>> Lanai Vasek, The Australian | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Related articles with audio here

Gillard Against Gay Marriage
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she does not support legalising gay marriage in Australia.

Labor policy on gay marriage will remain the same under her prime ministership, Ms Gillard told Austereo show today.

"We believe the marriage act is appropriate in its current form, that is recognising that marriage is between a man and a woman, but we have as a government taken steps to equalise treatment for gay couples," Ms Gillard said.

Asked if that was also her personal view, Ms Gillard said it was. >>> AAP | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Greece Suffers Fifth General Strike as Metro Blockaded in Madrid
Violence erupted in Bilbao during a one-day general strike. Photo: The Times
THE TIMES: Violence broke out during Greece’s fifth general strike of the year, while in Madrid the Metro was blockaded in a foretaste of a summer of industrial unrest.

As Mediterranean governments push through austerity measures, masked youths took part in running battles with police in Athens, with domestic flights and many ferry sailings from the port of Piraeus cancelled.

Public and private sector unions in the country announced that there would be a sixth all-out stoppage next week, when the package of pay and pension reforms comes to a final vote.

“These measures will not help. They will only lead to deeper recession and poverty,” said Despina Spanou, a board member of the Adedy civil servants’ union, which helped to organise the marches. “We are resisting the slaughtering of our rights.”

The governments of Greece and Spain are increasingly worried about the impact of unrest on tourism — which is a mainstay of both economies. >>> Philip Pangalos in Athens, William Bond in Madrid, David Charter in Brussels | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Dmitri Medvedev and B. Hussein Obama together. Photograph: Google Images
Obama Knew of FBI Plan But Said Nothing to Medvedev, Admits White House
THE TIMES: The White House admitted yesterday that even as Presidents Obama and Medvedev met last week for talks in Washington, Mr Obama knew the FBI was closing in on an alleged Russian spy ring and chose to say nothing.

The confession was matched by an acknowledgement in Moscow that at least some of the 11 suspects are Russian citizens, but it will do little to assuage Russian anger.

Vladimir Putin accused American officials of being “out of control”, while a Kremlin spokesman said that the US had revived “the spirit of the Cold War”.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the only thing that was clear about the raids on Sunday was that their timing had been chosen “with special elegance”. Continue reading and comment >>> Analysis, Tony Halpin, Giles Whittell | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Larry King Ends His CNN Talk Show
THE TIMES: After 25 years of stellar interviews and more wives than Henry VIII, Larry King has announced his abdication from America’s cherished chat show circuit.

The lucrative race to succeed him on CNN intensified last night when the former radio host from New York bowed to ratings pressure and rumours of demotion by telling viewers “it’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders”. Read on and comment >>> Nico Hines, Washington | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Majority of Germans Want Deutschmark Back
THE TELEGRAPH: A majority of Germans want to scrap the EU's single currency and bring back their beloved Deutschmark amid popular anger that Germany has bailed the euro zone out to the tune over £100 billion.

More than 51 per cent of Germans want to axe the euro after widespread fury that Germany's taxpayers have been forced to come to the rescue of Greece and other high spending southern European countries.

Only three in 10 people in Europe's largest economy now support the single currency, a flagship of EU integration and Germany's European policy. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Italy Appeals against Ban on School Crucifixes
THE TELEGRAPH: Italy has launched an appeal against a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that banned the display of crucifixes in state schools.

The court's decision last November provoked outrage in predominantly Catholic Italy, with ministers calling it shameful and an attack on the country's Christian values.

The appeal will be heard by the Grand Chamber, the highest body of the Strasbourg-based court.

A decision is not expected for three months, but if Italy loses the appeal it would mean that state-run schools across the European Union would face a ban on crucifixes and other religious symbols. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Taliban Suicide Bombers Attack Jalalabad Nato Base in Afghanistan
THE TELEGRAPH: Six Taliban suicide bombers launched a brazen daylight attack on one of the biggest Nato bases in Afghanistan one day after Gen David Petraeus warned of escalating violence.

Several attackers were killed when gunmen set off a car bomb and fired rocket propelled grenades at the Jalalabad air base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Two service personnel were injured, according to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.

The attack began at 0730 local time, with suicide bombers surrounding the base from different directions.

A Nato spokesman said the perimeter of the base had not been breached. >>> | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Life Inside Badam Bagh - Kabul's Only Prison for Women
BBC: Women's rights in Afghanistan have long been held up as one of the reasons why the West was so quick to help the country after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

But how much control do Afghan women really have over their own lives?

Lyse Doucet was given rare access to Badam Bagh, Kabul's only prison for women. Watch video >>> | Tuesday, June 29, 2010